The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)

Who is Muhammad?

In 571 AD, a child was born to a noble family via the prophetic lineage of Ishmael, son of Abraham, in Mecca on the Arabian Peninsula. His name was Muhammad, “the praised one.” He was orphaned at an early age; hence he understood the plight of orphans and the under-privileged. Muhammad grew to be a young man with an outstanding character. Allah the Almighty protected him from the evils of the Arab way of life of the Age of Ignorance (Jahiliyya) such as drinking alcohol, fornicating, and theft. He was known as al-Amin, the trustworthy, for people entrusted him with their valuables trustfully. Even before Islam, Muhammad was interested in the problems of his society and sought the establishment of virtue in the society, such as the prevention of injustices being perpetrated against foreign traders.

At the age of 40, he received his first revelation from Allah during the ninth month of the lunar calendar, Ramadan, delivered by the Archangel Gabriel. The first message revealed to him was, “Read/Recite in the name of your Lord, Who created you!”  Hence Islam, the way of life Muhammad was sent to teach, emphasized the acquisition and the dissemination of knowledge since its inception.

He received revelations over a period of twenty-three years. Named as “the Qur’an” by Allah, this message is addressed to all humanity and has a basic message; belief in the oneness of Allah, the Creator; His angels; His Messengers; His Books; the Day of Judgment; and His Divine Decree over all His creation.

In the first thirteen years of his prophethood, he invited people to abandon idol worship and to believe in One God. The first believer was the Prophet’s wife, Khadijah, who is known and respected as “the mother of Muslims”. Unfortunately, as he delivered this message, the Meccans saw him as a danger to their lifestyle, particularly idol worshipping. As he called for the rights of the weak, he drew the anger and wrath of the strong. He stood by the poor and the oppressed.

In order to persuade him to abandon his belief and duty of prophethood, all sorts of schemes like bribery, torture and banishment were used. Despite all these abuses, none of his followers deserted Islam. In 622 AD, Muhammad received a command from Allah to migrate to Medina, a city north of Mecca. This event was so momentous that the Islamic calendar begins with this migration (Hijrah). In Medina, Muslims became a cohesive society. More people from every religion, tribe and race embraced Islam. People from all parts were affected by the outstanding character and grace of the Prophet.

Eight years after the Hijrah, the Prophet Muhammad returned to Mecca with an army of 10,000 men under the strict order that no blood was to be spilt, no revenge was to be taken. He respectfully rode into Mecca on the back of his camel bowing so much so that his head nearly rested on the camel’s neck. Upon entering the city, he told its Meccans: “I say to you what the Prophet Joseph (Yusuf) said to his brothers, ‘This day, no reproach be cast on you. May Allah forgive you. You are free.’”

The following year in the pilgrimage  (hajj) season, he gave his farewell sermon in which he said:

“We have put the ways of ignorance behind us now. We must drop all ties with usury. Justice needs to prevail, and no one should ever be oppressed. Everyone is equal regardless of black or white, rich or poor, Arab or non-Arab. The thing that distinguishes us from one another is piety; there shall be no more paganism...”

In the meanwhile, the following verse was revealed to him: “This day have I perfected for you your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as religion…” (Ma’idah, 5/3)